


Playing track 2

by Thebicirclegirl



Category: Doctor Who, Torchwood
Genre: AU, Doctor who season 3, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-14 04:51:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17501909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thebicirclegirl/pseuds/Thebicirclegirl
Summary: The year that never was certainly took a toll on team TARDIS but do they know that it was only the start of the trouble headed their way?





	1. Tragedy

**Author's Note:**

> First time posting fic here it's probably terrible but oh well you learn by doing yeet.

After a seemingly endless amount of time after the master had bean shoot dead by his once loyal companion Lucy, Jack finally worked up the courage to try and break the doctor away from the body of the late time lord.  
The silence in the room was deafening and the only noise to break it up was the occasional angry sob that escaped the doctors mouth.  
The passengers of the airship vallient were frankly glued in place by the sheer awkwardness of the whole situation.  
None of them truly knew or understood the doctor maybe apart from Matha but she had still only been his companion for a short while and in her own head she knew that she wouldn't be going on adventures in time and space any anymore after her year of hell.  
Jack on the other hand was the oldest friend of the doctors on the ship now that the master was dead and Jack knew he was the only one who would be able to take the lead on this situation.  
The captain strode over to one of the masters former goons and took a pair of handcuffs from him and cuffed Mrs Saxon. He then handed her over to the goon to be taken into one of the numerous rooms on the airship until the ship landed.  
Jack thought about how she'll get charged for a murder that everyone on the ship would have probably carried out without batting an eye too because of that year of pain the human race was subjected to-anyone apart from the doctor that is.  
Jack rembered back when he Matha and the doctor were in the abandoned warehouse over a year ago eating chips that Martha had risked them getting found by the Master to get.  
Thoses were exceptionally good chips the captain reminisced, it was probably the fact they were such a dangerous bag of chips to aquire but regardless while eating their sorry excuse for a dinner Martha and Jack had pressed the doctor to find out more about The Master.  
Martha had thought that he might have been the doctors "secret brother" but the doctor has retorted that she had been watching too music television.  
It wasn't all that out there of a statement Jack had seen some scary similarities in the two men's personality and intellect. Both were extremely charismatic individuals, always were the smartest people in the room and they also had an air of overconfidence about them which was endearing with the doctor but terrifying with the master.  
The two were like the two sides of a coin in a way Jack thought to himself.  
What set the two timelords apart was their morals, that being the doctor lived by his and the master had none.  
Even with the information the doctor had provided his companions that he had gone to school with the Master back on Gallifrey and at one point they had even been friends Jack still felt that the Doctor wasn't being totally honest with them on the true relationship of him and the other time lord.  
Jack certainly didn't think that the master was the doctors evil sibling because that would be very wrong considering the sexual tension Jack picked up between the two.  
He thought maybe he might have been letting his imagination run a bit wild but the doctors reaction to The Masters death wasn't what one would expect to see.  
Of course Jack knew that the doctor was now the only one of his species left in the entire universe but those tears weren't of someone who had lost the last of their kind-they were the tears of someone they loved.  
As the stocky goon was escorting Mrs Saxon out of the ships deck room she glanced down at the body of her husband with her glazed over eyes and quietly asked the guard "is it over now?"  
The man nodded slowly a bit unsure of what else to do but nod.  
The Doctor never took his eyes away from the man he was cradling in his arms.  
After the pair had left the room the rest of the people in the room took it as their cue to leave also.  
The former goons laid their weapons down on the floor and hurried out after their old college and pretended that they needed all of them to help with Lucy's containment.  
Jack locked eyes with Martha and then looked at the rest of the Jones family and mimed for them to also leave the room quietly.  
Martha understood Jacks prompt and held her mother and sister tish by the shoulders and then whispered "come on it's okay now" to them and her father and they also headed out of the room.  
Jack took up the ship telephone and told the unit officer on the other side of the phone the current situation.  
"Captain Harkness, we're all fans of your organisations work very well done sir".  
Jack let a small smile wash over his dirt-covered but still handsome as ever face.  
"I wouldn't really call it my organisation more it's like when you get a really crappy piece of furniture for free and you give it a fresh coat of paint and try to make it better" Jack chortled  
"Well your a bloody good painter at that Sir but how's your flying?-will you be able,to land the ship alright" the unit officer inquired.  
"Oh I can fly anything buddy I bet I could even fly you" Jack smirked, even in times like this he still found it his duty to flirt besides the fact that he had a lovely Welsh man waiting back at torchwood HQ for him.  
"Hehe okay sir good,to hear...I think-Just follow the co-ords and we'll meet you all when you land, over and out" Jack could hear the redness in the Unit officers cheeks and it gave him a rush.  
"Wait!-can you pass on a message to one Ianto Jones in Cardiff for me..what was your name again"  
"Steven Sir I'm Steve Hunt-Certainly, what do you want me to tell mister Jones" the officer asked.  
"Just tell him...tell him I'm sorry I missed his birthday but I'll make it up to him soon" Jack grinned to himself.  
"Rightyo Jack-bye bye now" the line made a click noise as Jack put down the receiver.  
Jack switched off his charm now that he was back in his current reality and not the normal Friday evening reality where him and the torchwood team would get a giant Hawaiian pizza from their local pizzeria in Cardiff after a long week of alien based trouble. The pizzeria delivery woman was one of torchwoods informants actually since Owen had accidentally ordered take away under the organisation name. Jack thought it was easier to gain another set of eyes and ears in the alien filled City than to wipe the girls memory.  
Jack kept his team in mind as he piloted the airship to the docking station at one of the unit warehouses.  
All the while the doctor hadn't uttered a word and in a way Jack was glad because he really wouldn't have know what to say to him if he had spoke to him.  
Well what really could you say to someone who had just lost their oldest friend?  
Should you even say anything at all?


	2. Wake up call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor has read 50 shades of grey, not so subtle life on Mars references and Jack loving Disney movies what's not to like?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life on Mars the series reference in this chapter because I love that show and everything about it and the fact that it introduced me to the brilliant John Simm (aka the best actor for playing tinnitus having, time travelling, hot headed characters-I would take a bullet for DI Sam Tyler also be expecting Doctor who life on Mars crossover fic in the future because there's so much I could do with that)

Jack was standing over the doctors shoulder quietly looking at him with an expression the doctor couldn't see but he didn't need to see the captains face to tell what he was going to say to him next.  
After an uncomfortable amount of time, Jack finally broke the silence.  
"Doctor" he quietly said from behind the timelord.  
"Mmmm" the doctor replied with no effort to sound composed whatsoever.  
"You can't stay like that forever" Jack rethought his wording once he had said this as he didn't doubt the doctors sheer determination and seemingly endless lifespan.  
"It's not healthy, besides Unit will be asking for your help and more importantly Matha needs you right now" Jack knew mentioning Matha would catch his friends attention.  
"Oh my god... Martha" the doctor exhaled and he slowly stood up.  
"I didn't even think of Matha" the doctor admitted looked disappointed in himself.  
"Hey don't beat yourself up you needed time" Jack replied comfortingly.  
Jacks eyes fell onto the metaphorical elephant in the room, the master who was still sprawled on the floor.  
The corpse was so perfectly layed out it was almost clichéd. Jack could almost imagine those crime show white outlines on the floor around the body.  
"Not trying to be morbid but I assume we won't be calling the local funeral home" Jack added with as much respect as he could muster for the dispicable man who had made the past year a living nightmare for him and his friends.  
The doctor shook his head yet agreeing with jacks statement.  
"No your right, I don't trust anyone else to put him to rest finally I'll cremate him myself".  
Jack nodded.  
"Besides, I don't want to see eBay listings under real alien corpse that would really cause a stir" he added.  
"What do we do with him for now" Jack inquired.  
"Help me carry him to the TARDIS, I'll take care of it after all the unit business is dealt with" the doctor asked as he took hold of the master from under his arms as Jack took him by the legs.  
No matter how many times Jack had been in this situation he had never really gotten used to the cold feeling of a corpse that just emanates through clothing. Even being the morgue at torchwood hq gave him the willies still and he had spent an uncomfortable amount of time there unfortunately.  
The TARDIS was now back to her normal state and the red lighting and all other evidence of the paradox machine ever existing was gone.

The pair brought them into a room next to the garden and the walk in wardrobe with a large arch over the entrance.  
Jack deduced quite easily that it was one of the TARDISes many bedrooms from the most obvious clue of there being a double bed with a woolly throw at the foot of it.  
Jack thought of just how rich the doctor would be if he starting renting the rooms of the TARDIS out for £200 a night.  
That would probably make currency useless Jack realised, besides the TARDIS is so gigantic he was sure people would be able to hide away and not pay up for there stay.  
Jack and the doctor slowly and carefully placed the master onto the bed as if he were made of glass.  
It was odd for both The doctor and Jack to see that sheer look of calm and serenity cloaked over the masters face, when for the last months of their lives everyday had began with him literally doing a song and dance of the deck of the Vaillant. How things change so quickly.  
The room had a record player on a small mahogany table playing a piece of classical music that Jack had heard many times before but couldn't actaually put a name to.  
The room was full of bookshelves and it reminded Jack of Disney's beauty and the beast.  
He could almost see Belles eyes light up as she glanced over all the different colour and sized books in the room. Jack remembered having a movie night with Ianto the year before where they had watched several hours worth of Disney movies until they both drifted to sleep on the pull out couch. God he missed him, even the mundanity of watching a movie was just better with Ianto by his side.

The floor was in a bit of a state with items of clothing such as a stripped 70's era button up shirt and a black leather jacket as well as some David Bowie records on the ground too.  
There was a great big pine desk in the corner of the room with papers, notebooks and writing utensils throw across it as well as some open books.  
The doctor was at the desk seeing what reading material the master had been working his way though before his death.  
The Lord of the rings, hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy and-  
The doctor dropped the book and quickly moved some note books on top of it.  
Jack knew the doctor had come across something good so of course he grabbed the book from under the notebooks dispite the fact that the doctor was visibly cringing.  
"Fifty shades of Gray" Jack announced "A New York Times best seller".  
Jack had a puzzled look on his face.  
"If it's so darn good how come I've never heard of it doc" Jack asked his now blushing friend.  
"It doesn't come out for a few more years" the doctor replied monotonely.  
Jack had begun to flick through the pages and apon reading one of the sentences he then understood why the doctor looked so flushed.  
"OH-it's one of those books" he said a bit too loud to be considered an indoor voice.  
Jacks confusion still hadn't dispersed completely however.  
"But doctor he could only have travelled to the end of the universe or a little bit over a year ago so how was he able to get his paws on an erotic novel that hasn't come out yet" Jack asked trying to stop a grin from crawling onto his face.  
"He didn't... I bought it-now please can we just move on from the stupid book thanks" he grabbed the book back from Jack and tossed it onto the desk.  
The most of the papers on the desk where oddly enough reviews of human films and television programs written in circular Gallifreyan but there was also some pencil sketches of some constellations that the doctor knew where long since gone.

"Robocop I'd give it a decent seven out of ten as he could very well give the Judoon a run for their money but still not on the level of the telly tubbies which was a solid ten. It may have been the copious amounts of whiskey I had drank that day but does it really matter? No because they have televisions in their stomachs and I'm very much amused by that concept." It read.  
The doctor closed the notebook and tried not to let a laugh escape from his lips as Jack asked which a genuine look of concern what did it say.  
"Oh it was more of his evil scheme to rule the universe" the doctor lied just because it was more believable than the truth honestly.  
For someone who had no qualms with enslaving and then murdering the human race The Master still had some what of an appreciation for Earths pop culture?  
The doctor thought to himself that man was always full of surprises, most of the time terrifying ones but just this once a pleasant one for a change.  
His life could do with more pleasant surprises the timelord mused to himself.


	3. Bon voyage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mathas new job, Jack getting smooches, Owen is a smartass and sad Doctor everyone say 'Awww".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to scissor sisters for giving this fic its title because track number 2 is "she's my man", the song before "I can't decide"on their album ta dah if you didn't catch the reference. I recommend that song it's a bop.

Jack and the Doctor promptly left the TARDIS once they had finished their unpleasant task in there. The tension in the air was palpable and neither of the men knew what to say to another. The two were overjoyed to see Martha Jones bounding over to them as it distracted them away from the last few moments. She pulled them both into a group hug and exhaled loudly.  
"Am I glad to see you two!" she beamed at them.   
"You're very chipper Miss Jones" Jack stated gladly?  
"Well I did just pull of a crazy plan to save the planet and more crazily it worked" she bragged to the Captain.  
"That you did" the doctor smiled proudly.  
"I just spoke with the UNIT people about the whole situation and as soon as they talked with you Jack they called in the cavalry" Martha smiled as Jack put two and two together.  
The three turned around to look towards the doorway where the motley crew of Torchwood Three; Tosh, Owen, Gwen and of course Ianto stood.   
A loud chorus of "JACK" followed the group as they made a beeline for Harkness. The various personalities of the group were evident from their greetings to Jack.

 

Gwen Cooper gave Jack a slap to the face followed by a tight hug and an angry "WHERE WERE YOU? THE HUB IS IN A RIGHT BLOODY STATE"  
Toshiko smiled widely and announced "You found him then, your Doctor. I doubted that severed hand would work as a tracker that's fascinating...." Her mind racing with ideas of how they would use this type of tech back in Cardiff.  
"Am I out of a job then?" Asked Doctor Harper bitterly "Because if your going to try and mind wipe me, just know that this mind is a fortress. I'm the only one of you idiots that didn't vote Saxon" he stated proudly folding his arms.  
"No Owen you're not getting sacked" Jack reassured him.  
"Oi, you don't vote anyway because you say all politicians are aliens" Gwen argued with her team mate.  
"Well I was right this time wasn't I? Sorry for being cautious unlike the rest of you" he replied snarky.  
"Owen! That's alien racist" Tosh said shrilly while digging her elbow into his sides afraid her friend would offend the famous Doctor she had heard so much about from Jack over the years

 

"He's right though, the Slitheen wormed their way into politics. Nasty bunch very gassy. I had a date with one of them once actually." The doctor reminisced out loud.  
"Thank you! They never listen to me Doc" Owen gave the timelord a high five for backing him up.  
From the back of the group a quiet voice spoke up.  
"It's good to have you back Sir" Ianto told Jack as he gave his shoulder a firm grasp.  
Jack did his best to appear happy as tears began welling in his eyes.   
"Ianto you look well" Jack replied a bit flustered.  
"Oh Christ, kiss the bloke!" Martha practically screamed at Captain Jack.   
The two embraced lovingly as the rest of the room mockingly did an "Awww" in unison.  
"Shut up..." Jack laughed as the timid Ianto turned bright red.  
The doctor was glad to see his friend truly happy because by God did he deserve to be after the last 365 days he endured.

The joyous reunion was interrupted by Martha asking to Doctor could she speak to him in private.  
The man was caught slightly off guard but he agreed to the conversation all the same. She probably wanted to know where they would be going to next on their space and time travels. The timelord received a bit of a shook when Martha informed him that she had been propositioned by both UNIT and London's TORCHWOOD to work for them. She told her friend that it was her "getting out" and he respected her decision. He would miss his companions company but she had to follow her heart and that meant her leaving the big blue box. The doctor hugged Martha and wished her the best as she walked out the door with the TORCHWOOD crew. 

Jack strode over to him as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his long coat.  
"Right Doc, I guess this is goodbye again" the Captain remarked sadly.  
"I suppose it is then...Or... You could come with me? It would be just like old times again!" The timelord suggested even though he knew it wouldn't remotely be like back then. He had just lost one companion and he didn't know if he could bear to lose another one so soon. So much had changed since then, his face for one thing and Jack hadn't died hundreds of times over. Not to mention Rose-The Doctor was glad when Jack replied to his unrealistic ask and distract him from this thought as he didn't want to think about her it hurt his hearts too much.  
"Doctor I can't it's not that I don't want to..." Jack imagined what adventures he and the doctor could have if he stayed with him and longed for the thrill of space and time once again.  
"It's just that crazy bunch" He grinned at the thought of his friends and the antics they get up to in Cardiff "They're my life, their my team and I can't just abandon them again. I hope you can understand that." He explained with a heavy heart.  
"No.. I was being unreasonable besides there's no handsome Welsh blokes here for you to drool over" he replied with a smile.

"I do not drool over him Doctor, people drool over me" Jack retorted in a playful huff.  
"Sure stud.... you do though, tiny bit" the doctor replied, his voice getting high pitched to mock the captain.  
Jack could see he wasn't going to win this back and forth so instead he pulled the other man into a tight hug.  
The doctor hugged back hoping it would give Jack some comfort. The timelord felt personally responsible for Jacks misfortunes since when he met him in what felt like a life time ago. Having a new face didn't make the guilt leave him for his involvement in Jacks paradoxical curse of life but he was glad that Jack had found companionship of his own in Ianto Jones.  
The pair broke away as the friends smiled weakly at each other, both unsure of when they would cross paths again.   
"Take care of yourself you hear me, next time I see you it better still be with that cheeky face okay?" Jack threatened jokingly.  
I'm cheeky now am I? The doctor thought to himself, trying to decide if he liked this description of him or not. He concluded that it was an endearing trait to have.  
"Deals a deal, no dying on me either" the doctor replied with zeal.   
"In this line of work that's not gonna work out well" he chuckled

 

Jack made his way to the door of the TARDIS and turned and waved before stepping out the door of the blue box to get back to his life leading his team of mavericks again. Jack and the doctor parted ways once again and the doctor thought about how he would have loved to have Jack back in the TARDIS, but he knew his team needed Jack more now than they ever will.  
And with that the doctor was suddenly hit with the horrible realisation that he truly was alone.  
Now the Doctor was he was last of his kind once again and had no friends around to help him distract himself from that terrible fact.  
The door of the TARDIS banged shut with a heavy thud leaving him in a deafening silence.  
Just the mad man in the blue box once more.


End file.
